Well, that depends…

Most of us have been gamers for a long time, but some of us may be getting back into gaming after a hiatus or maybe getting into gaming for the first time. Either way, these are worth considering when deciding what console(s) to buy.

What type of gamer are you? Do you play predominantly third party games, such as Call of Duty and Battlefield, or are you the type of gamer that enjoys the unique games offered by each console?

If you are predominantly a third party gamer, chances are you will be happy with either an Xbox One or a PS4. Most third party games these days are usually available on both systems. Sometimes one system may have expansions for a game before the other does, but for the most part you are getting the same relative experience between the two consoles. There are some exceptions to this rule where a third party developer publishes a game for one console but not the other. Some recent popular titles that are exclusive to one console or another include Nier: Automata (PS4) and PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (Xbox One). If these games aren’t high on your priority list, buying one console or the other doesn’t really matter. Franchises such as Call of Duty, Assassin’s Creed, and Madden to name a few, will be on both consoles. It is worth noting, that PS4 does have more third party exclusives than Xbox One does at this time.

If you play a lot of first party game, than choice of console can definitely be a factor in deciding which console to purchase since these games are exclusive to their respective consoles. They have also been important to Xbox and Sony as well as console sellers. Halo is probably Xbox’s most important franchise in terms of it driving console sales. Uncharted has filled that role for Sony in recent years.  Whether it be difficulties for developers in working with Nintendo, or less powerful hardware in Nintendo  consoles compared to their counterparts from other companies, or the kid-friendly atmosphere Nintendo strives for, third party developers have been hesitant to work with Nintendo in full force. As a result, first party games have been Nintendo’s saving grace since the SNES. They have had to develop their own titles out of necessity in order to sell consoles. This necessity for first party content combined with a vast catalog of first party franchises has propelled Nintendo to the forefront in this area. PlayStation and Xbox don’t have the titles in this regard to compete with Nintendo. Kratos, Nathan Drake, Master Chief, and Marcus Fenix do not have the cultural renown that Mario and Link do. If first party games are your main determining factor in purchasing a console, I recommend Nintendo.

In conclusion, decide what types of games you want to play before deciding what console is right for you. If you want to play the new Call of Duty with your buddies, go with whatever most of them are playing. If you want to play first party exclusives than Nintendo is worth looking into as they offer the most steady stream of first party content but are lacking in third party content. PlayStation and Xbox are not as strong in this area. Maybe you really want to play BloodBorne or Nier: Automata; if that is you, than PS4 is probably the right choice. If you aren’t into online gaming but want to play titles such as Assassin’s Creed and Middle of Earth: Shadow of War, than I recommend buying whichever console (PS4 or Xbox) has the best deal at the time you are purchasing it. You can’t go wrong with whatever console you decide to go with!

Please share your thoughts in the comments section below